Madz and Starlow 8: Whodunnit Version
by Madz the Penguin
Summary: Based on the ABC show Whodunnit! When Madz and her family and friends go on a game show, they discover it's a mansion with murder around the corner. They must figure out who the killer is before it's too late. Rated T for death and maybe a bit of blood (more of the death part). This is optional to read, and the K ones are more important to the series.
1. Questions and Game Shows

**Welcome to Madz and Starlow 8, everyone! If you can't handle death and maybe some blood, turn back now. This is based on Whodunnit, a show that was on ABC (for anyone who doesn't know, ABC = American Broadcast Channel). This show, which appeared in the summer of 2013, is a murder mystery game show where 13 people go to a mansion and get killed, one by one. Please, no suggestions on who gets killed or not, but you can say who you want to get killed. By the way, characters won't really die, but enjoy!**

Madz was watching TV with Starlow, who was enjoying Madz petting her. They were watching a certain anime where people battle and charge their power-ups for long periods of time.

"Your power level, what is it?" asked one guy on the TV.

"My power level…" the other person answered, "…it's over 9000!"

"What?! Over 9000?!" he exclaimed.

"That's also the number of episodes it takes to charge your power-ups!" replied Starlow.

They both laughed about how funny the comment was, until Fawful came in.

"Are you having the making fun of TV shows again?" asked Fawful.

"Yes, Dr. Toadley is helping out on a special event, so his clinic is closed!" answered Madz, who was a little upset.

"That means we might have some free time to watch Mushroom Ball Z and make fun of it," added Starlow.

Fawful sighed and sat on the couch. "Midbus is also doing the helping, so if we had the doing of…how long will this power-up have the charging?"

"I don't know, maybe a while…"

Starlow was interrupted by loud squawks from the counter. Fawful ran over to the counter to find Birdley, who sat on the cash register. Tied to his talon with a red ribbon was a rolled up letter that looked like it was somewhat old. Fawful grabbed the bird with his left arm and untied the ribbon with the other, making the letter drop to the floor. When he let go, Birdley hovered in the air and stared at him.

"FYI! FYI! Read the letter!"

"You aren't the Great Cackletta, so no ordering! I have fury!"

Fawful tried to slap the bird with his left hand, but he kept on avoiding it. He safely flew away from him, making him laugh with some squawks. Madz waddled to the letter and picked it up. Madz went up to the counter, where Starlow flew to her and they all looked at the letter.

_Dear People in the Mushroom Kingdom,_

_Since one member of your family is old enough, I have no choice but to put you on a game show about survival. Of course, you guys have your laws, but our way is legal. You will be selected from our choice of shows from a questionnaire. The choices will make us see what you will be perfect for. I hope you survive, hahaha…_

_Your last letter from,_

_Unknown_

On the bottom of the letter were some questions that they had to answer. Fawful remembered what was going to happen.

"Fawful has the remembering of last year…" he remembered.

_Madz was running away from arrows shot from a bow and arrow. Pauline was shooting them, since she got some bow and arrow training after breaking up with Mario. She was on a branch of a tree, carefully aiming, but missing._

"_I shouldn't have done sickness for something I love the most! I should have said my life!"_

_Madz screamed as she was running for her life. Pauline didn't seem to care because she had bad memories with animals like apes._

"I remember that time, and I will never join the Hunter Games again!" yelled Madz.

"Well, at least you're the being of a penguin, and you had the getting rid of your fear," answered Fawful.

They all shrugged and stared at the questions. Fawful took a pen that was on the counter and gave it to Madz. Fortunately, she was taught how to write a long time ago.

"Question one," read Starlow, "If you were shrunken to the size of a card, what would you do?"

"Hmmm…that's a tough one…maybe go into someone's body and meet viruses!"

"And have the beating of them with your Miracle Cure power? I have chortles! Fawful may get the power and rule the…"

Madz and Starlow stared at him with surprised expressions. Fawful forgot he promised not to do bad things anymore, so he stopped talking and calmed down.

"Madz, just write down your answer," said Starlow calmly.

She wrote the answer to the question down quickly. Starlow read the next question.

"Question two, if you had to write a story about something, what would it be about?"

They all glanced at each other and answered differently.

"Fawful's life!" yelled Fawful.

"The stars!" answered Starlow at the same time.

"Sick people!" exclaimed Madz at the same time as both.

They looked at each other with confusion again, so they stayed silent. Madz decided to speak up.

"What about someone named Fawful, a star of a show, who gets sick?"

They all agreed, so Madz wrote the answer to question number two. Knowing that the questions were different this year than last year, they spotted there were only three questions. Starlow again read the last one.

"Question three, what is your weapon of choice? It must be only one,"

"Only one? The being of the headgear, of course!"

Madz was worried about what this answer could lead to. The Hunter Games put her life in danger, and she was lucky to survive. However, using technology would really make someone seem frail, which Fawful was. They had to seem tough, or people will make fun of them.

"Ummm, let's do bow and arrow!" responded Madz with worry, but she tried to hide it.

Before Fawful could yell at her, she scribbled the words down. She rolled the paper back up carefully and placed it on the counter.

"I have fury!" he yelled. Starlow knew something was wrong, so she went a bit closer to Madz.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"If we don't seem tough, they might think we're weak. Besides, the Mario Bros. think the headgear is a piece of cake,"

He took deep breathes to calm down. When he was done, he did his usual, toothy smile.

"Madz, have the sending this to Birdley," he ordered.

Madz put the pen down and took the letter. She flew away to catch Birdley. With concern, Starlow looked at Fawful.

"Fawful, what game show will we be on?" she asked.

"Ummm, I don't have knowing…" he replied.

**That's the end of the first chapter! The second chapter is coming soon, unless it's already here. This Madz and Starlow is a bit darker than the rest, so a T rating is necessary. Because of that, I will do Madz and Starlow 9 early, or the mystery one! If you can guess the mystery one, I'll do it early! Here are some hints:**

**1. A new OC will come.**

**2. Remember the fact Starlow's a girl.**

**3. The plot can happen in real life, but in a different way.**

**Can you guess it? Don't give up, I'm giving you a chance to summon the mystery one! You can guess it, because it's not too out of the box.**


	2. Welcome to the Mansion

**Ok, I just want to say something about the mystery one: you must guess it if you want it early. No, it's not a love triangle, or square if you count Bedsmith. You guys don't even know the age of the OC. You don't even know its gender! An OC is a character you made up for a fictional universe, so it's not easy if you go for just one hint. "Remember the fact Starlow's a girl" is the best hint you can use out of all of them.**

**By the way, I'm thinking about another Madz and Starlow. I have a question about it: how much angst is too much angst for an OC? No, this isn't for the mystery one, but enjoy!**

A day later, Fawful was trying to teach Midbus how to cook bacon in the oven just in case there wasn't a microwave at another place.

"Now Midbus, always have the cooking for fifteen minutes, or it will have the burning,"

Curious, the pig-armadillo asked, "Where does bacon come from?"

Fawful was shocked at the question. He didn't know exactly what he was, but he did an experiment that showed he was some type of pig bred with another animal. He laughed sheepishly.

"I have chortles…Fawful will have the telling when you're older," he replied.

Madz ran through the kitchen with a letter and Starlow by her side. She flew onto the table and started calling her father's name.

"Fawful! Fawful!"

Fawful turned toward Madz and saw the letter in her flipper. He took it out of her flipper, unfolded the letter, and read it out loud.

_Dear possibly-furious-family,_

_Your fate has been decided. There is a limo outside waiting for you. I will be waiting for you in an awful mansion. Please step outside, get your last bit of fresh air, and win the 25,000 coins. Good luck, and I hope you survive and win. I am the "unknown" from the last letter…_

_Your last letter from,_

_Bootiful Manor_

They looked at the letter over and over again. Starlow fretted over it.

"You mean, we might be like Luigi in his mansion?"

"It looks like it, why?" asked Madz.

"Umm…uhhh…" she did a moan to fake sickness, "I've got a bad bellyache. I think I'm getting, um, Bellyacheitis! Yes, I must stay in bed and rest for a whole week, so…"

"That's not a real disease!" interrupted Madz, "Even if you were sick, I would still take you! Sick people are treasures that I will bring when I have to leave! Now, let's go in the limo,"

They walked out of the Bean 'n Badge, out the pipe, through the sewers of Peach's Castle, and to the front of the castle. A limo was waiting for them, with Dr. Toadley looking at the open door.

"Am I also coming with you? Yes I am. I'm a bit worried that I might not survive…"

"I'm worried, too. Let's take our last breaths of fresh air, just like the letter said," replied Starlow.

They all took a deep breath and exhaled as much air as possible. They slowly went into the limo and sat down in the comfy seats. As the limo was going, everyone but Fawful was scared of it moving.

"Oh my gosh, it's moving! What if it moves so fast we die?! I don't want to die yet!" exclaimed Madz.

"You are right, Madz, I still have over 60 years to live! Do I really want to die? Not really!" responded Toadley.

"Guys, it's the being of a car, you won't have the dying in it, except in the fewest of cases…"

"We're going to get sick in this car? That's a miracle!" cheered Madz.

"No, you won't have the sickness in a car! Except car sickness…"

"Is there a cure to that? I hope there is…"

"I think it's like space sickness, Toadley," replied Starlow, "You know, something Mario might be immune to. I'm still wondering how he can breath in space…"

"I have fury at the red mustaches!" yelled Fawful.

"Fawful, still wondering, what's a car?" asked Midbus.

Fawful was trying to calm down, so he didn't answer for a second. When he was finished, he answered Midbus in the calmest way possible.

"This is the being of a car, Midbus," answered Fawful.

"Wait, if this is a car, does that mean we're not in a limo?" asked Starlow.

Fawful did a facepalm, but luckily they got to the mansion. When they stepped outside, they looked at the mansion with awe. It was a huge house with a red carpet that "guided them" to the door. The mansion was grey with support beams holding the roof that was over the door. The roof was brown with a normal roof, and stairs were in front of the door.

"So, do we go inside yet?" asked Starlow.

"I guess so," answered Madz.

When they went inside, the mansion was surprisingly neat for a place where they might die. The floor was covered by a red velvet carpet, which had a yellow outline. The piano was on the lower right corner of the square room, and doors that lead to different rooms were on the walls. Stairs lead up to more doors, possibly the rooms they would stay in. A big table was in the middle of the room, with chairs that resembled thrones surrounding it. In the room were familiar people they have met before.

Mimi was fixing her ponytails with a brush, Cackletta and Antasma were waltzing in the room for no reason, Dr. Mario was talking to Peach and Toadsworth, and Dreambert was trying to avoid Bedsmith.

They took a few more steps into the room until a Boo appeared. He wore a tuxedo with a top hat on his head. He smiled like a normal Boo as he floated down the steps.

"Hello, fellow guests, I'm Bootiful Manor, the butler in this mansion,"

Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to him. Cackletta and Antasma even took a step back from each other and faced him.

"Now, this mansion is not what it seems. I have been here for only a few weeks. Overcoming my shyness, I have invited you here to hang out. Though, some people who came here turned into souls and Boos. Poor people…"

Chills ran down their spines, even the ones who didn't have spines. People turning into souls and Boos were certainly an indirect mention of death. Is that what he really meant?

"Ummm, what should we do now?" asked Mimi, "Didn't you say we would die? We would win 25,000 coins, right?"

"Oh, the letter? Yes, that must be my mistake. Humor isn't easy to master, you know," he lied.

They still got suspicious about what he said. One, humor can be easy to master if used the right way. Two, humor isn't that grim; it's something that makes you laugh.

"Now, chat, talk, mingle, whatever you want to call it. It would be rude if I didn't let you talk with your buddies, right?"

As he left, people started talking and forgetting about what the letter said. Madz, however, thought just talking wouldn't solve anything right now. She ran up to Bootiful with a serious expression on her face.

"Excuse me, Mr. Manor, but are you sure this mansion is safe? You did say that we had to survive, right?"

Bootiful giggled at her question. "What a silly little girl. Did you really think we're going to die? Look, maybe talking about your feelings could help. Have you ever heard about the five stages of grief?"

She seemed a bit confused on his question. "What's that?"

"It's when you're grieving over something, you experience stages. They are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. You might be in…"

Suddenly, a shriek was heard. It sounded like Princess Peach's scream! They ran to where the sound was heard and saw the guests were surrounding the piano. As Madz squeezed through them and Bootiful just went through them, they saw the top of the piano was close. An arm was sticking out of the piano, and a crown was on the floor. It was completely silent, with no noise.

"Princess, you're…dead!" exclaimed Toadsworth.

**Creative, right? My best chapter is here! Yes, details are something I need to work on. Bootiful Manor is my OC that I made. Isn't he mysterious? He's a spoof of Giles, the butler in Whodunnit.**

**I'm very worried that Madz is a Mary Sue. However, if you think she is, you haven't read all of the Madz and Starlow series. In Friendship at Sight, she failed at archery (even injuring Toadsworth), had to convince Fawful to get Starlow, and got 0 points when she won the second event. In Bellyaching Toadley, the intern didn't fall for her disguise. In Beauty and the Sprite, she gave pets the Blorbs and accidentally used Sickie Thoughts on Dr. Toadley. Finally, in Twinkle, Twinkle Massive Star, she couldn't stop Fawful's sneezes and didn't know how to help Starlow. Finally, not everyone likes her, as reveled in Beauty and the Star Sprite. She's also doesn't want to cure anybody.**

**See, so Madz isn't a Mary Sue. She could use some character development. Oh, by the way, have you guessed the mystery one yet? This fan fiction will take more than four chapters…**


	3. Discovering the Death of Peach

**So you didn't guess it yet? Oh well, I'm going to do the mystery one now. I just felt so bad for the people that can't read T rated fan fictions, so I'm working on the mystery one. You can still guess it before it comes out, but here it is! The third chapter!**

Everyone murmured to each other as Peach was certainly dead. Starlow was in denial with the whole "Peach is dead" theory, so she went up to the piano.

"Guys, Peach isn't dead! She might just be hanging around in the piano! Right, Peach?"

There was no answer, so Madz lifted the top of the piano to reveal something disgusting: Peach lying in the piano with a knife in her back. Some blood managed to pour on her dress, but she wasn't bleeding anymore. Some people, except Dr. Toadley and Bootiful, got squeamish at the death.

"Ok, maybe she just needs serious medical attention. Dr. Toadley!"

"Hey, what about me?" asked Dr. Mario.

Everyone stared at Dr. Mario and got silent. Dr. Toadley decided to break the silence by saying a comment.

"Have you ever went to medical school? No you haven't. Do you deserve to be a doctor? Certainly not,"

Everyone moved on and focused on the death again. Bootiful went in front of the piano and examined Peach. When he was done, he cleared his throat to speak.

"The death of this young woman was not on accident…"

"Ya, like anyone would just hold up a knife 'accidentally' and stick it in to someone while putting them in a piano…" interrupted Cackletta.

"Cackletta! Just let me speak,"

She rolled her eyes as he continued. "As I was saying, it wasn't on accident. It was murder,"

Some gasped, but some didn't even care. She was a princess that was "perfect" and was always so important. If she was dead, some other characters could have the limelight.

"Then who is it? Tell me, young man!" yelled Toadsworth.

"I don't know, but he, or she, is in this very room,"

Commotion suddenly came as they were blaming people who the murderer was. Some of the blames were usual, such as Dr. Toadley blaming Dr. Mario and vise versa. Others were uncommon or even rare, like Madz and Starlow blaming each other. Bootiful whistled with his pointy arms to silence them.

"You won't get anywhere blaming everyone. You must figure it out in a mystery. Day by day, the killer will murder someone and you must figure it out. Now, to start, you must choose to look in three places: the crime scene, last known whereabouts, and the morgue. In this case, the crime scene and last known whereabouts are the same, sort of…"

"Can I call morgue?" asked Madz, "I want to see what that is!"

Bootiful stared at her for a second. Soon, he cleared his throat and smiled.

"Curious child, I suppose. You seem quite peppy in a dreadful time. Very well, go to the morgue with the other people, if they want to,"

"I'll go!" shouted Starlow.

Everyone stayed silent, until another person wanted to go.

"Should I go to the morgue too? Of course I will. I am a psychic doctor, after all,"

"If that's all, then I'll bring you guys. However, we forgot to put Peach there, so you guys have the difficult task to carry her,"

The three looked at each other with surprised expressions. Carrying Peach, who had a knife in her back, wasn't a thing they would want to do. However, they had the task to carry her, so they tried to get her out of the piano. Madz and Starlow were hovering and grabbing her arms, while Toadley was on the piano's stool and carefully lifting up her body.

_This is pretty disgusting… _thought Starlow as they successfully got her out. Still holding onto her, they walked to the morgue with Bootiful guiding them. Hopefully the blood didn't touch them, or they might drop her due to squeamishness.

When they got there, Madz discovered what a morgue was. The walls and floor was made out of what seemed like metal, and there were metal dressers with possibly tools. In the middle was an iron tub that seemed like a place to put the body. To Madz, it seemed more like a hidden evil lair than a place to investigate dead bodies.

"I think we're supposed to put it in that tub," noted Starlow.

They put Peach in the tub carefully so she laid on her belly and her back was visible.

"This is where you investigate dead bodies, and it might not be the cheeriest, but it's useful. To solve a mystery, you should look at dead bodies,"

"Bootiful, that doesn't seem right," replied Madz, who was a bit grossed out with looking at her body.

"Well, do what you have to do, like in this case, take out the knife," responded Bootiful.

As he disappeared out of the room, they gazed at the knife with disgust.

"Is this even worse than surgery? I think it is," said Dr. Toadley, looking a bit squeamish.

"It's ok, this is like ripping off a bandage," replied Starlow, "If we get this over with, we might not have to do this ever again. The other murders may not be like this, so let's do this!"

Dr. Toadley held the knife with both hands like he was taking a sword out of a rock. Madz also put her two flippers on the knife. They counted down from three slowly. When they were done, they quickly took out the knife. Dr. Toadley let go so Madz could investigate the knife. There was some blood on it, but just thinking about it almost made her want to throw up.

"There's some blood on it, but I don't think that's important," noticed Madz.

"Will I investigate the cut? I'm a doctor, so I will,"

Madz and Starlow turned away from Peach. The whole scene was just going to give them nightmares for weeks. If they did watch, it would be like seeing a horror movie. Did they really want to look if it would only make the situation worse?

Later, they were allowed to talk about what they saw and what would be useful to solve the mystery. Madz, Starlow, Fawful, Midbus, and Dr. Toadley were talking to each other while sitting at the table.

"…and so, was it a bit gross? I think it was,"

"Hmmm, Fawful had the finding of some pieces of mushrooms on the being of the floor…"

"Really? We should have been investigating the crime scene, because Madz threw up when she peeked at the cut,"

That seemed to be the case. To enjoy their talk, Bootiful gave them mushrooms to eat. Madz wasn't eating any of them; she was just playing with it with her flipper.

"Madz, you should have the eating of your mushrooms," said Fawful with his voice a bit quieter. Still, she was too grossed out to eat now. She felt a bit sick when she looked at the red mushrooms, so she couldn't really eat right now.

"Fawful, I don't feel so good. Can I just wait until dinner to eat them?"

"Hmmm, she's too grossed out to eat. Should I be a bit more careful about examining things? I think I should,"

Fawful went up to Madz and picked her up. He rubbed her belly gently, like what Mimi would do when she lived with him.

"Shhhh…it's going to have the okayness…"

Mimi noticed this and walked to Fawful. It looked cute to see Madz's belly being rubbed by Fawful. It wasn't everyday he would do this. He usually cared about himself, but as a parent, he had to take care of her and Midbus. The love must have came naturally.

"Awww Fawfie, you look so cute with Madzie!" she commented.

Everyone stared at Fawful and Madz. Embarrassed, he blushed and froze. Did they all really see his soft side? He put Madz back in her chair, where she happily ate her food.

"Umm…Fawful has the embarrassment…" he responded.

Luckily, Bootiful came and announced the next challenge. He had a piece of paper in his hand that must have some sort of rhyme on it.

"Now, the killer has announced the next challenge, and I'm sorry for Madz who seemed to have got sick in the morgue,"

"It's ok, I'm fine now," replied Madz.

"Now, here's the rhyme the killer has for you, and you must look for it. Here it is…"

He began to read the rhyme by holding the paper up to his face.

_The guest have arrived, filled with horror_

_Madz just got sick, oh the terror!_

_Mourning for Peach and wishing for her cake batter_

_Maybe you should just look for the latter_

"Look for the latter? So we must look for cake batter?" wondered Dreambert.

"That's for you to figure out, prince. Hopefully you don't die like Peach,"

Frightened, Dreambert started looking with Bedsmith. Knowing that maybe they went the right way, they all followed them to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, it looked like a normal kitchen, except with no table. In the middle of the kitchen was the stove and the fryer. On the right wall, there was a sink and a counter with a microwave on top close to the wall. There was another counter on the left side with drawers with utensils in them. The walls were orange with a vine pattern on them, and the floor had checkerboard flooring. Across from the door were large cabinets that had tons of ingredients, along with a refrigerator next to it.

What was unusual about the kitchen was there were three barrels of batter across from the door, too. Something was in the batter.

"Look, beautiful Cackletta, _Screep! _Let's go in the batter, _Screech!_"

Despite the command being just for Cackletta, everyone was looking in the batter quickly. Even the usually clean ones, like Toadsworth and Dreambert, were acting like dogs that were digging in the dirt. Due to their small size, Madz and Starlow couldn't just dig in the batter with their flippers and feet, respectively. Instead, they decided to swim in it.

They held their breath and dove into the batter. They tried to feel what was inside, until Madz felt a plastic ball under the batter.

_Hey, I found it! _she thought. She patted Starlow on the back, which she assumed was a gesture that meant, "I found it!".

They swam out of the batter, breathed once again, and looked at the ball. It looked like a mushroom, but it was round. Could it be a mushroom ball?

"Starlow, I found this in the batter! I think that's it!" she exclaimed.

She opened it and found a piece of paper inside. She unfolded it and they both read it.

_You, over there, you found the note_

_Just wondering, are you a dreamboat?_

_If you are or aren't, don't worry, just stay cool_

_Try finding something in the pool_

"I don't know if I am a dreamboat," responded Starlow, "But we should go to the pool to wash this batter off,"

Madz nodded as they both went outside to the pool. Outside in the backyard was a pool with a square pattern, gray flooring around it. There was a lawn behind it that had hedges shaped like familiar Mario power-ups. There was also a hot tub near the pool, and near both pools were four beach chairs.

Holding their breath once again, they put down both the ball and the note and dove into the pool. Luckily, the batter washed off, and they could see in the pool. Starlow found something this time, but it wasn't a note this time. Instead, it was a mini metal slingshot. Was that the item they were supposed to find?

Madz saw Starlow find something, she picked it up. She winked as they swam up to the surface and laid down on the gray floor. They breathed heavily as a bell rang.

"Someone has completed the mission!" shouted Bootiful. There were only two other people who found the mushroom balls, which were Toadsworth and Bedsmith, but they didn't make it to the pool on time. Bootiful went up to the both of them and saw them breathing.

"Hmmm, tired, aren't we?" he mused.

They both looked at him and kept on panting. This has been a long day for both of them.

"Look, you guys have worked together, but as the numbers get fewer, that won't be the same. You will start to fight and blame each other. Don't say I didn't warm you,"

As he floated away, the two sat up and glanced at each other. Would they really betray each other? It would be the Hunter Games all over again if that was the case.

"Starlow, we better see what's next. I don't think this is a pleasant place for both of us,"

"I agree, Madz. We both love each other, but maybe we'll gain enemies and soon help them. No, that can't be the case. I'm really worried, Madz!"

She hugged Starlow for a moment before finally standing up. "I'm also worried too, Starlow"

Starlow started flying again as they went back into the mansion. Soon, they had to guess what happened and who did it before dinner. Soon, they stated their cases, and they went to the table in the main room. Bootiful was the only one who wasn't sitting down.

"Hmmmm…it looks like we do have a winner for today. The winner is…Dr. Toadley!"

Shocked, everyone but Bootiful quickly turned their heads to Toadley. He did deep guffaws for a bit before calming down.

"Do doctors have an advantage in the morgue? I guess they do,"

Fawful the most surprised at this. He was usually pretty humble and calm. Does that mean a chance of death changed him for now?

"Now, I will read what the killer has really done, but he won't reveal his, or her, identity yet,"

Bootiful held up a piece of paper and cleared his throat before reading the letter.

_Dear guests at the mansion,_

_Bootiful Manor is reading this, correct? Anyway, what I did isn't rocket science. First, I got a slingshot and pulled it back. I aimed for the neck and, successfully, killed her. To hide her death, I just put her in the piano, a place nobody would look. Oh, what about the knife? That was on accident. You really think I would kill Peach with a knife in the back? That doesn't kill people._

_Your host, or guest,_

_The Killer_

"So it was on accident? But I was just being sarcastic," said Cackletta.

"Hmmm, so it appears I must give you the cards. Spared means you won't be killed, Scared means you might die. There are two Scared Cards. Good luck,"

Bootiful gave the envelopes to the guests. Each one got one envelope, and they all opened it. Still, there was two people who got them.

"What?!"

"I'm going to be like Peach?!"

Everyone stared at both Toadsworth and Bedsmith. Dreambert rubbed the frightened Bedsmith's back slowly.

"Bedsmith, will, die…" he whispered as he shivered.

"Oh dear, I guess one of us will be dead by tomorrow. Well, at least I'll be able to see Peach…" Toadsworth reassured to himself.

"Well, that's all of the cards. Eat your dinner, guests. I don't want you to starve,"

Bootiful disappeared and everyone ate. Bedsmith ate slowly, so Dreambert had to help him. Toadsworth just looked worried, but he ate at the same speed he normally eats.

"Poor Bedsmith…" whispered Starlow to Madz.

"I know, I hope he doesn't die," she replied back, "He is crazy, but he can't die"

Bedsmith seemed to hear them as Dreambert was spoon feeding him. Still, they wondered, who would die next?

**Whodunnit is one of my favorite shows. Still, it's TV-14, but my mom and my brother used to watch it with me. I still think they were bigger fans then me, because I would get the names mixed up. Well, in this version, I won't get mixed up, I will just forget some people. Going back to chapter two soon…**

**If you guys just can't wait to know what the mystery one is, then I'll say it. If you still want to guess, then turn back. Ok, here it goes, the mystery one is…Starlow will get pregnant. I hope I'm not jumping the shark there. I also hope you guys like one of my best chapters ever.**


	4. Peach, Toadsworth, What Comes Next?

**Chapters in Madz and Starlow 8 will take a while. How do I know that? Well, the last chapter of this fan fiction took eight pages to complete. Eight pages for a chapter is a lot for the Madz and Starlow series. The chapters are a bit on the short side, but not as short as Yoshirilla-Rhedosaurus (minimum for his chapter: 200 words. Minimum for mine: 700 words). That's why I don't update as fast as him, because he has shorter chapters. My chapters are around 1,000-2,500 words in each chapter. Well, I hope you enjoy this one.**

The guests went in the main room when they woke up. Some got nightmares about their death, while others slept comfortably in their beds. Because of this, some were more tired then others. They sat in the tables to wait for their breakfast and challenge.

"Poor Bedsmith, you got nightmares!" Mimi exclaimed with worry.

"I know," replied Dreambert as he rubbed Bedsmith's back, "He's been very worried about his death. In this game show, I must act as his older brother. Surprisingly, he didn't want to nap on me tonight".

Mimi stared into Bedsmith's eyes with exaggerated concern. "I remember when Fawfie had nightmares after he was revived. He couldn't sleep at all, so I had to help him. Still, we had a great penguin daughter to help us!"

Dreambert and Bedsmith glanced at each other and tried to think of if they replaced Fawful and Mimi with them. Maybe a penguin could help them, so Dreambert called her.

"Madz, can you help me with Bedsmith's nightmares tonight?"

Madz stared at them with a confused expression. She remembered the time where Fawful got nightmares, but that was different. She also heard the conversation, so she knew that maybe they thought the situations were similar.

"If you don't feel like that's a good idea, then just think of us as penguins!"

With Madz taking that the wrong way, she answered, "Ummm, no thanks, and Madz does not make three!"

Confused that Madz just spoke in third person, they just kept on eating. Mimi, on the other hand, knew what she was trying to reference.

A few minutes later, Dr. Toadley was trying to find Toadsworth. He knew that if there were Toads around, he would feel more at home. Still, no matter how much he looked around the table, he couldn't find Toadsworth.

"Guys, should we look for Toadsworth? I think we should…"

"Relax, Toadley," reassured Dr. Mario, "You just killed him like you did with Peach!"

"Hey, did I think it was you because you're a bad doctor? Yes I did,"

They both growled at each other like angry dogs before Midbus started to notice, too. "Where Toadsworth?" he asked.

Bootiful suddenly appeared over the table with a normal smile on his face. "Is something troubling you?"

"Yes, we can't find Toadsworth," answered Starlow.

"Toadsworth, right? Oh, the poor thing is in his bed, but he doesn't look hurt. He does look dead, I suppose…"

"Dead? I should look…I mean, I must be excused! Can I please be excused?" asked Dr. Toadley.

"Sure, even if breakfast isn't served yet,"

Dr. Toadley rushed to Toadsworth's room to see what's wrong with him. When he got to his room, he observed the room for a bit. The walls were a dark and light brown mixture with a mushroom pattern on it. The carpet was green and furry, but it was a bit hard to see since some clothes were scattered on the floor. A window was on one of the walls, close to his bed. The bed had blankets with the same pattern on the wall, but they were kicked off. Lying on the bed was Toadsworth, with no signs of movement to show he was alive.

"Toadsworth?" he called with a bit of worry. He didn't respond back. Instead, he was lying there with no movement.

Getting worried, Dr. Toadley went up to Toadsworth and put his hands on one side of the mattress.

"Toadsworth?" he repeated. Still getting no answer, he shook Toadsworth repeatedly and kept on yelling, "Toadsworth! Toadsworth!"

He kept on doing this until a voice answered, "Don't fret, or I may also worry, except it's about you"

He turned around to see Bootiful behind him. He stopped, ran up to Bootiful, and grabbed his tuxedo. Tears suddenly ran down his eyes, but he was also feeling furious.

"What did you do to him?! I don't know…"

As Bootiful was lost for words, the contestants all ran to the room with concern.

"Gee, you were gone for a long…"

Mimi stopped talking as they saw what was going on. Dr. Toadley was intimidating Bootiful with his angry, but sad, expression. This was possibly because he wanted to know what was going on.

"What's going on?!" yelled Mimi.

Antasma pulled them apart and let Toadley cry. This was odd, because he would almost _never _cry. Madz tugged on his cloak to make him look down at her. He looked down at her and sniffed.

"What's wrong?" she asked innocently.

"Madz, Toadsworth is dead. I…"

He continued weeping, so he didn't get to say what else was wrong. She knew the fact Toadsworth's dead wasn't just the reason why he was upset.

"My word, you are really crying," he noted, "I'll bring Toadsworth to the morgue. Do you want to come with me?"

He nodded as Bootiful picked up Toadsworth. They looked at Toadsworth's surprisingly-not-gory death as he announced what they would do.

"You can either go to the crime scene, here, the last known whereabouts, in the kitchen, or the morgue. The death of this poor fellow is very sad indeed,"

He floated out of the room with Dr. Toadley and left the others to make their decision.

"Cackletta, let's go to the last known vhereabouts, _screech_!"

Cackletta nodded as her boyfriend and her walked to the kitchen. Mimi and Fawful also walked to the kitchen with them.

"Madz, we should go to the morgue again," suggested Starlow, "I'm pretty sure your stomach can handle it this time"

She nodded as they flew out of the room. Dreambert and Bedsmith seemed to follow them, but Dreambert had to guide him there.

At the morgue, Dr. Toadley was staring at Toadsworth's dead body. He couldn't see anything wrong, but that was because he wasn't really in the mood and he didn't have a crystal ball with him. Soon, Madz, Starlow, Dreambert, and Bedsmith walked in the room.

"Are you ok, Toadley?" asked Starlow.

"Am I ok? No I'm not. Do I think I know a pattern? I think I do…"

As Dreambert was examining the body, he glanced up at him. "What pattern?"

"Well, Peach is part Toad, and Toadsworth is a Toad, and me…ummm…"

He started crying again, but everyone now knew what was wrong. If the pattern was correct, he would be killed next. Still, no one was sure if it was true or not.

"Maybe that's the reason why he didn't seem so humble yesterday, and why he's crying today," replied Starlow, "He's psychic, so he can somehow predict the future. He must have predicted Toadsworth's death!"

"That could be true," responded Madz, "But doesn't he predict the future with a crystal ball?"

"I think he does do that sometimes, but other times, he uses his mind. If he can activate your Sickie Thoughts with your mind, he can see the future with his mind!"

As they were talking, Bedsmith was pushing on Toadsworth's stomach repeatedly.

"Bedsmith, what are you doing?" asked Dreambert.

"I'm bringing Toadsworth back to life!" exclaimed Bedsmith.

A few pushes later, something came flying out of Toadsworth's mouth. It fell on the floor, but it didn't move at all. Of course, it was non-living.

Dreambert picked it up and observed it. It looked like a piece of a mushroom, but it was the tan part of it.

"Guys, I found something!" he exclaimed.

They all looked at him, then at the piece of mushroom in his hand. "What is that?" asked Starlow.

"It's what came out of his mouth. It's part of a mushroom,"

Dr. Toadley grabbed it out of his hand and looked at it. "Is it a mushroom? Of course it is! But what kind?"

They wondered about this, until Madz spoke up. "Maybe it's a Poison Mushroom. Those are deadly, right?"

"Is it a Poison Mushroom? It isn't. It seems more like a mushroom someone created…"

_Someone created it? _thought Madz. It was now no wonder the killer was clever. Her stepfather taught her about how hard it is to make a mushroom.

"_Have the remembering, Madz. Mushrooms have hardness to make…"_

The quote when Fawful was making the Blorb Mushrooms and the Vacuum 'Shroom came back to her. It was something she would never forget, and she will need to remember it later.

Later, Madz told the story about the mushroom coming out of Toadsworth and how she knew mushrooms were hard to make. Starlow, Fawful, Midbus, and Dr. Toadley were listening to her.

"Does that mean that Fawful must have been the murderer?" asked Starlow.

Offended, Fawful snapped back, "I have fury! Fawful did not have the killing of people!"

"It would make perfect sense," replied Dr. Toadley, "Would Dr. Mario make a perfect mushroom? I don't think so"

Everyone stared at him with surprise. If Dr. Mario could make Megavitamins, he could make mushrooms. It's harder to make pills than mushrooms in the Mario world.

"Ummm, Dr. Toadley, pills are harder to make than mushrooms," corrected Starlow, "If I could, I would teach a tutorial about it quickly"

Soon, Bootiful came with a blue bomb the size of Madz. Despite holding a bomb, he still kept his smile. This was possibly because Boos are immortal and he wouldn't die from the explosion.

"The killer has a message for you…"

"Oh Grambi, that bomb is huge! We're all going to die!" exclaimed Mimi.

He took out a match and set the rope of the bomb on fire. He only blew the fire out on the match, not the bomb.

"Bootiful, I think you forgot to blow out something else…"

"Relax, Cackletta," interrupted Bootiful, "This won't hurt me a bit"

As the bomb reached the last few centimeters, the fire suddenly stopped. He opened the bomb and got a note out of it. He read it carefully and slowly.

_This task is not very hard_

_It is like reading this card_

_Find the note that may be helpful_

_And you may be amazing, not awful_

_(Oh, you think I would rhyme it with Fawful?)_

After the note was read, everyone, except Bootiful, was running all over the place. If they were the person the farthest from finding the note, it might be a sure death.

Cackletta and Antasma were searching for the note, but they couldn't find it. A couple minutes later, they found the piano, sometimes dubbed, "Peach's Death Place" by some contestants off camera. Cackletta put her hand in the piano and did her best to avoid touching the piano strings. Soon, she felt a piece of paper and grabbed it with her hand. She took it out and read the note.

_Oh, guys! Sorry this doesn't rhyme, but this isn't the right note. I'll still give you some useless info: for Mario, it's the A button. For Luigi, it's the B button. Keep that in your mind…_

Cackletta crumbled the note and half-heartedly threw it on the floor.

"Cackletta, _screep! _Vho could that be?" asked Antasma.

"I don't know, but this killer guy is annoying," grumbled Cackletta.

Later, Dreambert and Bedsmith were looking in a blue and white-striped porcelain vase. Dreambert put his hand in there and took out the note. He opened it and read it out loud.

_This is a non-rhyming note, but it's not the right one! Oooooh, I guess I can tell you about sick people! Oh, once I went to this place, and they were doing a surgery. It was disguising! They had to take out his…_

Dreambert stopped reading the note and crumbled it up. He looked disguised because of what he read on the note.

"What did it say?" asked Bedsmith.

"Let's not talk about that…" answered Dreambert.

Soon, after looking through twelve notes, Madz and Starlow were searching for the real one. A few minutes later, they ran through the kitchen. They looked at the refrigerator, which made Starlow a bit hungry.

"Madz, I'm kind of hungry. You don't want me to eat raw sushi again, don't you?"

She nodded back at Starlow, opened the refrigerator, and went inside of it to look for food. Instead of finding a good snack, however, she found a note. She took it out of the refrigerator and closed the door.

"It's another note! I think my hunger can wait a bit…"

She opened the note, but it only said a recipe for a mushroom. Madz read what it said out loud.

"The Super Poison Mushroom, Two Poison Mushrooms, one and a half cups of sugar…this is a recipe for a poisonous mushroom!"

"Huh?!"

The bell rang to show that they got the right note.

"We have a winner! Now, it's time to say what you think happened," announced Bootiful.

As Madz and Starlow took a few steps, Bootiful teleported right in front of them. They stopped with a little surprise on their faces.

"Hmmm, have you noticed the notes seem to act like people here?"

"I have, Bootiful," answered Madz nervously, "One acted like Dr. Mario, another like Dreambert, and so on,"

"You must not believe those notes so seriously. Only one is the killer, not all of you,"

He disappeared slowly, which was a bit mysterious to them. What was he really hiding?

After they said what they thought, they all sat at the table for dinner. Toadley stared at his dinner, or some steak, with worry. Soon, he might become like that steak: dead from the people it loved. The farmer who raised him and took care of him soon killed him for food. Soon, it became steak. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and hoped for the best.

"Ok, I will now announce what the killer has done," announced Bootiful. He took out a card and read it carefully.

_Dear guests at dinner,_

_My dish has been served to an old Toad. Hmmm, I would die if I ate my wonderful dish. I made a Super Poison Mushroom I somehow learned and served it as a dish. I came into Toadsworth's room and announced, "Breakfast is served!". He kindly thanked me, unlike some people here, and ate the mushroom happily. As the stomach met the food, he died from food poisoning. Toads always fall for the mushroom trick. Hmmm, I wonder why…_

_From the five star cook,_

_The Killer_

After he read the note, he passed the envelopes around the table. Each person got one envelope. When everyone got one, they opened it and took out the card.

"Huh?!"

"Tell me this isn't true…"

Mimi and Dreambert both held up their Scared cards. Dr. Toadley did his rare smile and sighed with relief.

"Poor me, Madzie will never visit me again!" she exclaimed.

"But Mimi, I might be murdered," corrected Dreambert.

Bedsmith was even more scared that Dreambert was going to die. He was like his older brother right now, and he wanted to nap on him. Now, he may not be able to do that anymore.

"Oh, this must be hard for the killer," noted Starlow, "He, or she, might like both of you. It would be very hard to know who to kill,"

Madz was also a bit sad about this. Who would be killed; her stepmother or her friend/Starlow's "boyfriend".

**Ummm, that was an interesting chapter. Don't guess the reference, because it is supposed to be **_**And Tango Makes Three**_**. If you've never heard of it, it's where two boy penguins from the zoo find an egg and take care of it. It hatches into a female penguin named "Tango". It's a true story, but the book is one of the most controversial children's books (don't guess why, look it up). Since there's the "Dreamsmith" shipping and Madz is a female penguin, why not do the reference? Ummm, ignore the reference, and it will be fine (oh boy, if someone does a Dreamsmith fan fiction called **_**And Madz Makes Three**_**, that would be creepy)**

**Oh, by the way, can you give me suggestions on murders? Just make sure it's not too gruesome and it's T rated and I'll give it a shot. I wonder who will be murdered next…**


	5. A Brawl Caused By Fear

**Madz and Starlow 8 is a great story, and I couldn't abandon it. Wait, I will never abandon any of my Madz and Starlow stories! This time, the death might be a bit dark, but it's a T story. I have Madz and Starlow 9 if people can't read T stories, so let's do this!**

The window let in a cool breeze that made the curtains blow back as it reached Bedsmith's head. Satisfied by the breeze, he turned to face it. The only things that made him feel safe here was the breeze and Prince Dreambert. Napping on him would be nice, but it would make him feel only temporarily safe in this mansion.

"Dreambert, do you like this breeze?"

There was no answer. Feeling worried and a bit scared, he turned to his side and opened his eyes.

"Dreambert, I said…"

He then noticed he was gone from his bed. He pulled off the blankets, but there was no sign of him. He put on his goggles and searched the room, calling his name while doing so.

"Dreambert? Dreambert? Dreambert!"

There was no answer or any sign of him in the room. Knowing he was gone, he began to cry. He was one of the few things that kept him safe. He could be in the bathroom, but he could also be dead. He would be heartbroken and frightened if he saw his death.

"Can we come in?" a voice asked in a few minutes.

"Yes…" he sobbed as he was rolling back and forth on his bed.

The door opened to reveal Madz and Starlow. They flew close to Bedsmith with a concerned look on their faces.

"What's wrong? Where's Dreambert?" asked Starlow.

"He's gone, and I don't know where he is. What if he's dead?"

Madz rubbed his back as he continued to cry. "Don't worry, we'll find him, but you have to come with us,"

"Come with you guys? But why?" he asked as he was trying to stop crying, "I may weep way more if I see him dead"

"Look, losing someone is hard, but it's OK to cry. We can find him and help you," reassured Starlow.

Bedsmith sighed and uncurled himself. "OK, I'll come with you guys. Will you promise you won't laugh at me if I cry?"

"Sure," they both answered.

He bounced off of his bed and stood up. Using all of his courage, he opened the door and tried to find Dreambert with Madz and Starlow. They searched around the mansion, but they couldn't find him.

"Oh, who will I nap on now?" he said before a few tears came from his eyes.

"Don't worry, we didn't check the pool yet. Maybe he's there," comforted Starlow.

They ran to the pool and found Dreambert floating lazily on the surface. He wasn't moving at all, so Bedsmith fell to his knees and held himself up with his hands.

"No, no, no! This can't be happening!"

Madz dived into the water, swam to Dreambert, and grabbed his arm. She swam back to Bedsmith and Starlow and put Dreambert's arm out for Bedsmith to grab. He grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the checkerboard patterned floor.

"Dreambert! Dreambert!" he yelled while weeping.

Madz climbed out of the water and turned into a dark blue star. In the middle looked like a red, yellow, and green star were trying to combine, but couldn't. Red was on the top, yellow was on the left, and green was on the right. Madz had transformed into the Miracle Cure.

"Ummm, Madz, I don't think that cures death," said Starlow with a hint of unsureness in her voice.

Madz floated over Dreambert, getting the star dust on him. Nothing happened. She floated over him again. Still dead. She did it over and over again until Bedsmith began to lay down on the floor, his arms stretching out in front of him. He began bawling like a five year old because of the one person he loved was gone.

Madz turned back into her penguin form and gazed at Bedsmith with worry. Starlow did the same.

"What's going on here?!"

The voice came from Mimi, who was in the crowd of contestants that came outside. Bedsmith heard her and tried to stop crying, but couldn't.

"Dreambert is dead!" he sobbed.

The contestants crowded around Dreambert. Most of them were murmuring about what was going on, but Antasma was crossing his arms with satisfaction.

"Actually, I like this very much, _screech_!" he responded with pleasure.

"Oh really?"

Bootiful appeared above Dreambert. The murmuring stopped so they can see what was going on.

"The rumors of a pattern that mushrooms are murdered first is indeed wrong. It is really on how you solve the mystery. The ones who got it the most wrong get the Scared cards. I guess a Toad who knows everything can get things wrong sometimes,"

The contestants stared at Dr. Toadley, who was embarrassed. "Was it my fault? No it wasn't. Umm…"

"Don't worry, you can now choose where to go; the crime scene, the last known whereabouts, or the morgue,"

"I choose the morgue to prove to Dr. Toadley I'm the better doctor," replied Dr. Mario, talking like he was boasting about something.

"Are you as right as a used car salesman? Yes you are,"

Dr. Mario opened his eyes and faced Dr. Toadley. "Said the guy who answers his own questions all the time!"

They both growled at each other like last morning until Mimi interrupted them.

"Guys, relax! I'll go to the morgue with Dr. Mario, along with Fawfie. Then, Antasma, Cackletta, and Midbus can go to the last known whereabouts. The rest will stay here! Isn't that a great plan?"

Bedsmith stopped crying and sat up. "Yes, that's OK…" he answered.

The others agreed with her and went to where they were supposed to go. Bootiful carried Dreambert to the morgue, but that made Bedsmith cry again.

"Dreambert! Please don't go!"

He tried to run to him, but something grabbed his shirt. He turned around and saw Dr. Toadley grabbing onto his shirt. This reminded him of one of those monster nightmares that Antasma loved to eat.

Not answering his own question, he said calmly, but firmly, "It's for your own good"

Bedsmith grasped his hand and threw it out of the way. As he started to sprint toward him, Dr. Toadley pounced on him. They both fell onto the ground, and they both started to tackle each other. Since he was a doctor, Dr. Toadley had the advantage of knowing someone's weak spot that could make them helpless. However, Bedsmith knows how to use a hammer and he practiced tackling by trying to get Dreambert to be in his pillow form. Both had the chance of winning.

While they were fighting, Madz was searching for anything life threatening in the pool. Starlow was watching her to make sure she was alright. When Madz got out of the pool to put a knife on the edge of the pool, Starlow observed it.

"It looks a bit rusty, but that's OK. At least we know he was murdered with a knife,"

"Yes, but I think Bedsmith and Toadley should help," suggested Madz.

"That would be a good…"

She turned her body to Bedsmith and Dr. Toadley, who were on the floor wrestling each other. Dr. Toadley grabbed his chest to make an uppercut to the face, but Bedsmith made him let go by kicking his stomach. Letting go, he hugged his belly for a couple of seconds before leaping on him again. They continued to fight each other as Madz and Starlow watched them.

"Oh my goodness! Stop the fight you two!"

Distracted by the fight, Starlow glided to them and repeated it, except more loudly.

"Stop the fight you two!"

They looked at Starlow and froze. Dr. Toadley was grabbing his shirt, while Bedsmith was about to punch his face.

"Get away from each other," she commanded.

Bedsmith and Dr. Toadley got off of each other and sat side by side. They were facing Starlow and listening very carefully.

"You guys are acting like kindergarteners getting into a fight! What happened?"

"Dr. Toadley won't let me go near Dreambert!" he complained.

"Were you supposed to be here? Yes you were!"

"Well, I wasn't afraid of you! You are just a big meanie who is a good doctor. No one likes mean doctors!"

Surprised by how childish the comment was, Starlow responded, "I think this mansion is doing things to you guys"

"Like what?" asked Dr. Toadley.

Before Starlow can say another word, Madz came with a knife and a wet piece of rope about a few centimeters long. As the rope was dripping, Dr. Toadley and Starlow were doing and expression that meant, "Really? It was that easy?"

Bedsmith, on the other hand, was interested in what Madz found. He knew he could solve the mystery with those two things.

"Madz, Bedsmith and Toadley can say what you found. We need to talk about something else,"

"Umm, about that…"

Dr. Toadley opened his cloak to reveal his belly. It had a wound on it, possibly when Bedsmith kicked him.

Bedsmith also showed his arm, which also had a wound on it. Both were not serious, but they did need some attention.

"Wow! You guys are hurt! Maybe I can help you guys!" noted Madz cheerfully.

"Wait, you like people hurt, too?" wondered Starlow.

"No, no, no!" exclaimed Madz quickly, "I just sometimes like being the nurse! It's like what Mimi would do when I was hurt or sick,"

Quoting a saying, Dr. Toadley repeated, "An apple doesn't fall far from the tree"

Later, Toadley and Bedsmith were in the latter's bed. They were allowed to skip the next task because they were hurt, but they still had to go to the dinner table at dinner and say what they thought would happen. Madz was putting an ice pack on the doctor's belly when she smiled with delight.

"Looks like I'm playing doctor this time!" she said playfully.

"Are you surprisingly cheerful still? I think you are. Still, maybe a bandage will work…"

That was what surprised Dr. Toadley the most. He had been so scared that he wasn't like himself lately. He was crying a lot, he bragged in front of people (especially people that were not Dr. Mario), and he beat up an innocent Pi'illo. Madz, who was exposed to a gruesome cut and an almost exploding bomb, was still her cheerful self. If she was nursing the both of them, then she had to be the same Madz. Fear didn't take over her yet.

Starlow flew into the room and smiled. "It looks like you're having a great time playing doctor,"

"Yes, but I think they are different because they are scared," she responded.

"What makes you say that?"

"Bedsmith and Toadley are their own selves again, and they're really calm. Maybe they were just really frightened that contestants are dying,"

Starlow glanced at them for a second. They seemed very calm, but they were just like themselves. That could mean that fear was making Bedsmith childish and hopeless and Dr. Toadley the opposite of himself.

"That's true, but we have a challenge to do now. We have to go in a room, escape to the attic, and we'll get the biggest clue,"

"OK, I'll be there. Do you guys want to come with us?"

They shook their heads. "Bedsmith is calm. He doesn't want to take a challenge now,"

Both saying goodbye before leaving, they ran to the room they were supposed to go to. When they got in, the room was dark. They couldn't see a thing, but they knew the rest of the contestants were in the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Bedsmith and Dr. Toadley will not be participating. They will be automatically Scared because of them not getting the clue. The killer now wants you to get out of the room and go to the attic,"

The voice sounded like Bootiful's voice, but he wasn't seen. He was probably invisible to make the room and setting more ominous and spooky. When he was finished speaking, the doors could be heard being locked. Antasma turned into a bat and tried to find a way out.

"Antasma, maybe you can use your echolocation to get us out of here," suggested Cackletta.

Antasma took the suggestion and did a high pitched screech. Nobody could hear it because it was too high, but it was proven to be effective when the door almost broke.

"It's more powerful in the Dreamvorld, _screep_!" he screeched.

Now knowing where the door was, Midbus punched the door to make it break into pieces.

"That's my brother!" cheered Madz.

Despite the door breaking, there was no light shining through. The whole mansion was dark, possibly to make it much more entertaining for the audience.

"Ummm, why isn't there any light?" asked Mimi.

"I don't know, maybe because the producers are being the 'Hey, let's do this to get more views!' type" remarked Cackletta.

"Vait! I think I haff an idea! _Screech!_"

He used his regular echolocation to detect where the exit was. When he remembered where it was, he flew out of the door. He screeched often to help guide the other in the dark.

"Follow me, _screech!_"

As he guided them through the dark, they looked around for any light. A piece of paper was heard being stepped on halfway through, so they tried to see if it was anything important. They couldn't see anything, but Starlow refused to let it go and move on.

"Guys, I think that piece of paper was important," noted Starlow.

"Well, if we have the looking for it, we'll have the losing!" Fawful yelled.

"He's right," replied Cackletta, "If we find it, we'll lose each other. Since Toadley and Bedsmith will be the Scared ones, this is the only moment where we should at least work together"

"But if it's important, we might never get out of here!"

"Starlow, we'll be fine," reassured Mimi.

Trying to forget about the note, they continued their quest to the attic. When they got to the attic door, Fawful tried to feel where the doorknob was. Instead of feeling a doorknob, he felt a safe lock. He felt the rest of the door and knew it was made out of metal. The attic was covered by a safe door.

"We have the needing of a combination. It's the being of a safe,"

They sighed with frustration in unison before Starlow spoke up.

"And who said we needed the paper?" asked Starlow, but it was a rhetorical question.

"Don't need a note. I got it," said Midbus as he punched the door. Luckily, Fawful moved out of the way, so he wasn't injured. However, the door didn't budge. Only a little dent was made.

"Maybe we could use a stethoscope like in the movies!" exclaimed Madz.

"Madz, are you sure that…"

Cackletta was interrupted by Dr. Mario opening the door. He turned on the light switch in the attic to reveal wooden stairs going up.

"It worked!" shouted Dr. Mario.

"Congratulations,"

Bootiful's voice was heard, but he was not seen. This may mean that he was busy with something else or he just wanted his voice to be heard.

"Now, since you all made it, I want only one of you to go up. Decide which one will go up while I wrap the bandages around these two. This reminds me of the good old days…"

They didn't know what to do next. They would get a certain Spared no matter what they did. If they chose one, it wouldn't matter. The ones that didn't participate would get a Scared no matter what.

"What should we choose?" asked Madz.

"Maybe me? I helped," said Midbus.

"Guys, if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't get into the attic!" shouted Dr. Mario.

"I guided you, _screep!_" screeched Antasma.

"What about someone other than Madz and Starlow go? They got the clue last time,"

Everyone stared at Cackletta, or where they thought Cackletta was. That would leave fewer choices, but it was more than one.

"What about Fawfie? He's the smartest and he may understand the complicated stuff!" suggested Mimi.

Everyone thought for a second and all agreed in unison, "OK"

Fawful climbed up the stairs, which were creaking with every step. Worried it was going to break, Fawful ran up the stairs and caught his breath at the top. He doesn't work out that much, so he's not very athletic when it comes to stamina and strength. He fixed his glassed and observed the room. It was surprisingly tiny, and a TV was in the middle of it on a table. He took a few steps and looked on the TV. It suddenly turned on, but Fawful was only a bit surprised.

On the TV was Dreambert being carried out of bed by Midbus. Thinking he was the killer for a second, he turned around to show that he was sleepwalking. That was the normal Midbus, because Fawful or Madz would be carried sometimes and wake up in the oddest places. He went outside the mansion and saw Midbus tying Dreambert to a large wooden pole, like what a pirate ship would have. Midbus put it in the pool, and it was floating in the surface.

Then, a mysterious shadow appeared and held up a knife. As it was about to attack Dreambert, the screen turned to static. He ran back down the stairs, now knowing what happened.

After Bootiful turned the lights back on and the contestants said what they thought happened, they sat at the dinner table. Bedsmith's arm was wrapped around with the traditional white bandages. Dr. Toadley was wrapped around with the same kind as Bedsmith, except it was around his belly.

"…and I attacked him with the knife, and he was cut. I hid the cuts by quickly fixing his clothes and left him floating on water," read Bootiful, "It was pretty cool, pun intended. From your fabulous murderer, the Killer"

After reading, he passed the envelopes to them. When they opened it, Bedsmith and Dr. Toadley both got Scared cards.

"Huh?! Is this fair? It certainly isn't! I guessed it pretty well!"

"But the killer thinks you guys are helpless with the injuries. He can also smell fear,"

Bedsmith put his head on Midbus's belly and started crying again. Midbus patted his head lightly with his hand and calmly whispered, "Be fine. You're fine…"

Stunned Midbus was acting so motherly, Fawful wondered who would be gone next. He was glad he wasn't going to die, but this mansion made him feel a bit different. What was going on?

**This message is on the 9****th**** page! The Dr. Toadley vs. Bedsmith fight was inspired by Luigisgirlfriend's "The Determination", where chapter 4 has Luigi fighting Dr. Toadley. That's why there were wounds on them (I didn't describe it so you can imagine it more easily). Think I'm making things up? Read the fan fiction yourself!**

**By the way, I think this is the best Whodunnit Mario story on the board. It's not because this is mine, though. I just feel like the details and the feelings are well described and make the reader feel what they are feeling. Have a fear of dying? You can relate that with Dr. Toadley, who feels that death is around the corner. Feel unsafe without something? Bedsmith feels unsafe without Dreambert by his side in the mansion. The rest of the stories on here are unfinished and just mirror the show. This time, I've decided to make it different. I hope you enjoy it!**


	6. A Jester Appears!

"**Show, not Tell" is the ultimate step in writing for me. What does the saying mean? It means using details to pull the readers into the moment. It's like a magical portal that brings the reader to the world, making them feel the floor or grass or whatever is under them under their feet. The character is bringing you on their adventure, but they don't notice it. However, you notice them. You see Harry Potter flying on the brooms in Hogwarts. You see Bella with Jacob and Edward. You see Katniss fighting for her life in the Hunger Games. Making them enjoy it is one thing, but the thing you want them to do is engulf them with the world of your imagination. I want to capture the magic and use it, because that's the true miracle of writing.**

**That was my inspiring paragraph. I have been trying to grasp details in writing, but I feel like that's a step that will take years of practice. Madz and Starlow 8 will help me do that. It has details that will help me reach the miracle of writing! I hope this story will help me and enjoy you guys.**

The dark, ominous halls of the wooden mansion rose the fear of the Toad. The furry, but smooth red carpet wasn't really felt because of his shoes, but he did seem to notice it. When he least expected it, a candle lit up and revealed the stars on the Toad's head. It was Dr. Toadley, the one who had fear take over his body in the mansion.

He continued walking, trying to keep his expression normal so no one would think he lacked courage. His expression changed to frightened when he heard a voice that mostly sounded like a breeze, but the voice was still heard.

_Toadley…_

When it was gone, he took a deep breath and assumed he had just heard things. He walked carefully and slowly so he wouldn't be noticed. The hallway was a lot longer than he remembered. Was this a different mansion?

The same voice was heard again, but the voice was clearer than before.

_Toadley…fear has engulfed you…terror…you're not the same…_

The voice sounded like Madz, but she seemed different. She never uses speech that you would find in an old poem. Also, Madz may not even know what "engulfed" meant. To her, it might sound something like "devour" or "gulp".

_Answer me…why do you lack what you need…?_

"Lack what you need"? What does he need? He tried to answer her in what he thought it meant.

"Ummm, did I have much time to pack? No I didn't," he answered.

The spirit appeared in front of him, making him flinch back. The spirit was white and a bit translucent. She was roughly Madz's size, but the ghost tail on her made her a bit taller. She even looks like Madz, except with a ghostly tail.

"It's not what you pack," she corrected, "It's what you must have"

"What should I have? I don't know..." he wondered.

She got even closer to him, but his curiosity made him stand still. Her expression changed to a ghost-like one to an annoyed one.

"You know what you lack. Courage and bravery are missing. What happened to them?"

He thought about it for a second. He was a doctor, and he had to deal with death many times. In this mansion, there was death, and he couldn't handle it. It's as if the mansion itself is making people like this.

"I'm serious, I don't know," he sighed.

"Look deep into your mind. This is an order from me, Dreamy Madz,"

That's why she looked like Madz. She was a Dreamy version of Madz, but she seemed to be the spirit of her. What was going on?

"You're not…"

"Stop!" she exclaimed, "In this mansion, Dreamy people turn into wise spirits. We come to help stop fear from taking over the people in the mansion"

He thought about it for a second, and then another second. Soon, he realized that _he _was also going to die. He was afraid of death, and he almost forgot about that. How could he forget about that in his own dream?

"Am I afraid of dying in the mansion? Indeed I am,"

The spirit floated away for a bit with a motherly expression. "Poor Toadley, you seem frightened. The only way to cure a fear is to scare you and make you courageous. Let's start right now"

Suddenly, her eye color turned from blue to red. Her round, oval shaped body gained grey fur, and her beak grew two sharp fangs. Her flippers had sharp claws and her beak turned into a furry snout. She resembled a wolf in appearance.

What she said before she leaped onto him reminded him that he wasn't just like Madz in appearance, but also in likes and dislikes.

"This is the only thing I want to cure…"

As she was biting on the side of Toadley's mushroom head, he yelled and cried for help. Luckily, before it could get gruesome, he woke up and sat up quickly. He breathed in quick, short breaths for a few seconds before he breathed normally again. He turned toward Bedsmith, who was lying down next to him.

"Bedsmith, did I have a horrible nightmare? I certainly did!"

There was no answer from him. He didn't hear him speak or see him move, so he lifted the blankets up from Bedsmith's side of the bed. Peeking from under the covers, he gasped. He threw the blankets off of Bedsmith so he could see his injury more often. Blood was coming out of his side, so the sheet was stained with blood. Bedsmith was dead.

"What?! Why you?!" he yelled angrily. He banged his fist on the bed, but it only made his fist bounce up a couple inches. He took deep breathes before glancing at Bedsmith. He was helpless and innocent, but Toadley was making a fool out of himself. Whatever he did to survive, he regretted doing. Still, he was afraid of dying here, so he had to calm down.

"Was it my fault? I think it was…" he sighed.

Bootiful appeared behind Toadley and smiled. "Well, well, well, Toadley. Another death. The person you beat up has died"

He turned around to see where the voice came from. "Is it because of you?! Yes it is!"

"It wasn't me. It's another one of the contestants," he corrected, "Maybe it's even one of your friends"

Betrayal. The word was right for the situation. If someone was the killer, they help the makers of the show. "Maybe it's one of your friends" brought fury into his eyes. He couldn't trust anyone.

After the contestants were separated into where they wanted to go, Dr. Toadley was in the morgue with Madz and Starlow. He knew he should do it alone, or else the two possible murderers might spot a mistake and murder him. He examined Bedsmith's side like a doctor usually would, despite him diagnosing people with a crystal ball at his clinic.

"You don't seem like yourself today…" noted Starlow.

"And you don't seem to be who I think you are…" grumbled Dr. Toadley.

"But we're all worried about you!" exclaimed Madz, "You seem more aggressive and you've become a show-off!"

"Is your power ironic for what you're doing to people? Indeed it is,"

Madz was shocked, but confused, by the comment. "Do you mean I make people sick because of you?!"

"That's not right, first murderer who's a penguin,"

Offended, Starlow flew in front of Madz. "Madz is not the killer! What have you become, Dr. Windwaker Toadley?!"

He froze and turned to Starlow. "What have you become? A murderer. I'm just being careful,"

"Careful with what? Answering your own questions? That's not going so well," she said before mimicking Toadley, "Do I answer my own questions a lot? Yes I do. Is it called the Miracle Toadley Cure and not the Miracle Cure? Certainly yes!"

Annoyance becoming anger, he grabbed Starlow and moved her in front of Bedsmith's side.

"Can you diagnose that? Of course you can," he ordered with rage. He let go to let Starlow examine it, which she did. She didn't fully enjoy the experience, but she had to win.

Madz flew up to Dr. Toadley and asked, "What's wrong?"

He sighed and answered, "Is it none of your business? Yes it is"

By looking at her face, she seemed worried. Her concerned expression showed him, "Why are you becoming a monster?"

After the morgue, everyone decided to talk at the long table. Everyone was trying to work together this time, except for Dr. Toadley.

"Golly, Bedsmith's bed was covered in blood!" exclaimed Mimi, "It was like he was cut or something!"

"Mimi, when I saw the body, he looked scraped up on his side. Something must have scratched him or something," replied Starlow.

"Fawful had the finding of things in the being of the front of the bathroom," added Fawful, "So the being of Bedsmith must have had the holding by the killer!"

"Strange things to say for the killers…" mumbled Toadley.

Hearing his voice, but not his words, Mimi, who was next to him, wondered, "What did you say?"

He stared straight at her and tried his best to not answer his own questions at the moment. "I said, 'strange things to say for the killers'"

Mimi slammed both of her hands on the table as she yelled, "Excuse me?!"

Dr. Toadley, who would usually ignore her at this moment, instead leaned closer to her and retorted, "Is it true? I think it is!"

Fawful ran up to Toadley and massaged his shoulders to calm him down. Everyone thought this was odd for Fawful to do something like that, but they assumed it was to calm him down.

"Now, now, let's not have the fury…"

Mimi's eyes turned black as she smiled a big, demented smile. She got out of her chair and spun her head around several times. When she stopped, spider legs came out of the bottom of her head, and she stood up on them. She was in her true form.

Everyone backed away as she said, "Is this how you want me, Toadley? MIMIMIMIMIMI!"

They ran to a wall as Mimi slowly crawled up to them. Fawful and Dr. Toadley gazed in awe at the horror of Mimi. She was about to touch Toadley with one of her spider legs until…

"Everyone, I have an announcement!"

Mimi backed away as Bootiful flew in between the crowd and Mimi.

"I was going to just give you the clue right away, but I lost some of my cards. So, you guys must find them if you want the clue,"

Mimi turned back into her original form and smiled. "Oh, I didn't do anything wrong! I think I'll find the cards for you, Bootiful!"

Bootiful stared at her like he didn't care how nice she was. "Yes, very good…now, find my cards!"

After he disappeared, the contestants were trying to find the cards. The frenzy in the room damaged a couple pots with plants in them (though, Bootiful didn't mind, since he was a ghost), and it became a little more chaotic after a few minutes. Madz didn't like the chaos, so Starlow guided her to a safe place close to a Dimentio statue. The statue had one of Dimentio's legs up while he was snapping one of his fingers.

"Madz, we need to get out of here somehow. Well, at least, I want you safe here," said Starlow with a hint of panting in her voice.

"I might not make it," she replied, "What if I get killed, or you get killed? If it's you, than my life would change"

Starlow had to keep her attitude up. If they were going to get out of this mansion alive, they had to stay brave. Otherwise, they might end up like Toadley.

"Madz, you know what happens when fear takes over. It happened to Dr. Toadley,"

Madz hid behind the statue to protect herself from her being more scared. Luckily, she found something behind the statue.

"Starlow! Over here!"

Starlow flew behind the statue to find Madz holding up Bootiful's cards. They didn't look like cards an announcer would have. They were playing cards in a box of cards, but one of them was sticking out. It was the Joker, but it had a picture of Dimentio on it.

"So, it was really a pack of cards? Maybe that Joker will give us a clue," noted Starlow.

They went in front of the Dimentio statue again and looked closer. They saw that the only thing that wasn't grey like the rest of the statue was the yellow diamond between his poncho and his mask. Madz flew up to the diamond and felt it.

"It feels like plastic…" she said before accidentally pressing it. She flew back as the statue began to shake and glow purple. When it stopped, the statue now had color instead of being grey. Its chest moved a bit to show it was breathing. It put its leg down, put its hands in a normal position, and put its arm down. The statue was now the real Dimentio.

"Master of dimensions, pleasure to the crowds, I am Dimentio!"

They gazed at him with awe. _So that's what happened to Uncle Dimmy_, thought Madz.

"Umm, hi, Mister Dim-something," greeted Starlow, who was a bit stunned.

"Dim-men-tee-oh," he corrected, "Also, you look scared, like a puppy who was scolded by his owner in a land filled with bones"

"What happened to you?" asked Madz.

"No time, I must tell you where to go. You must go in the bathroom,"

Confused, Starlow asked, "But we don't have to go. We're perfectly fine"

Dimentio's smiled turned into an annoyed expression. "Are you messing with me with your potty humor? I want you guys to look there, like a detective who works with a doctor,"

"Can you get us there, Uncle Dimmy?" requested Madz.

"Uncle Dimmy? You sound like you're Mimi's daughter. Oh well,"

He grabbed Madz and Starlow and held them with his arm. He snapped his fingers to teleport to the bathroom. The bathroom was clean and white, with a bathtub on the right and a sink on the left. Next to the sink was a white toilet. The walls and the floor were tiles that were either turquoise or white.

Dimentio let go of Madz and Starlow and looked around.

"So, will you help us find the clue?" asked Starlow.

Dimentio didn't answer them. He curiously observed the bathroom before going into the bathtub. He put his hand on the part of the wall just above the bathtub, and a keypad with the numbers 1 through 9 on it appeared next to his hand.

"Before my soul was petrified by the producers, I learned the secrets of the mansion. I don't know the code, though,"

Starlow flew up to the keypad and typed in four numbers before the wall shook. Dimentio took his hand off of the wall and saw part of the wall slowly came down, revealing a path of stairs.

"How did you know the code?" wondered Madz.

"I saw the code somewhere, I think," she answered.

They floated down the stairs that lead them to the morgue. In the morgue were pieces of wood on the tub. In the middle of the pieces was a Fawful doll that looked like it was a bit smaller than Madz.

"Why is there a doll here?" asked Madz.

Dimentio grabbed the doll and squeezed it. The doll's eyes turned red and opened its mouth. A green gas came out of it, but it didn't seem like a stinky smell. Dimentio coughed before giggling. The giggles turned into chortling, and the chortling turned into fits of laughter. He laughed until the gas wore off.

"This has laughing gas in it. How clever, like a mouse escaping many traps by using rope and string,"

Starlow thought for a moment before wondering, "Does this mean he possibly…laughed to death?"

"You can laugh to death?" asked Madz.

"Yes, but don't be afraid," reassured Dimentio, "It's not common, and it takes tons of laughter and guffaws to do so"

He placed the doll back in the tub and backed away. "I must say my farewell before leaving,"

"Wait!" shouted Starlow, "Will you ever be back?"

He smiled and answered, "Only time will tell. Ciao!"

He snapped his fingers and teleported away. Still wondering about the code, Madz wondered, "Where did you see the code?"

"I forgot," Starlow answered. This was very strange, because Starlow rarely forgets things. Was something going on that she didn't know about?

Later, everyone was at the dinner table. Dr. Mario was rubbing Dr. Toadley's back to calm him down, since he didn't want him to get too aggressive at the dinner table.

"Please don't beat me up. Even I can't fix myself up,"

"Did you ever go to medical school? You certainly didn't," he grumbled.

Bootiful soon came to the table with a letter and some envelopes in his pointy arms.

"Everyone, the person who got the closest was Starlow. Give her a round of applause,"

Everyone was clapping for Starlow, even Madz. However, Madz was getting a bit suspicious about Starlow.

"Now, I will read the letter," he said before he read the letter.

_Dear my great audience,_

_Welcome to this wonderful and lighthearted dinner. Oh, it's so ironic I'm saying that, but let me say what's going on. First, I made a Fawful doll that had laughing gas in it. Some jester ghost warned me not to do that, but I called the producers to petrify him into stone. I went to Bedsmith while he was sleeping and grabbed him into the bathroom. I used the laughing gas to make him laugh to death, but I had to hide it somehow. I used pieces of wood to scrape his side until he started to bleed. I put him back into his bed, and a doctor made this comedy a drama. I hope you laughed at that._

_Your entertainer,_

_The Killer_

Bootiful passed out the envelopes and they all opened them. Like always, most got Spared cards, but some got Scared.

"What?!"

"Vhat?!"

"This isn't happening!"

Cackletta, Antasma, and Dr. Mario held up their Scared cards. The contestants thought the three cards were an error, until Bootiful spoke up.

"The killer chose three this time. That means two will be murdered,"

Cackletta and Antasma hugged each other to comfort each other. They were all wondering how the show was going to end, and who would survive.

**OK, I'll explain. The point of view switching was because I didn't know how to go into Dr. Toadley's view for the whole chapter. Also, I wanted to add Dimentio into the story, but it's in a better way than you'll expect. It's not the fangirl, "Oh, let's make Dimentio OOC!" or "Let's annoy Dimentio!" or "I want to give Dimentio a bellyache!" Dimentio is a lot more serious in this story. He's actually going to help the protagonists in the story, unlike in other stories where he's the main character. I'm not saying that fangirl stories are bad, but there's so much of them that I couldn't read every single one of them in a whole day.**

**I think I can finish Madz and Starlow 9 without finishing this story first. I might even start Madz and Starlow 10 before I finish this, but I'll have to think about that. I hope you enjoy the story!**


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